Tokomaru School

School Evaluation Report 

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Tokomaru School is a rural primary school providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school is in the Horowhenua district south of Palmerston North. A prominent feature of the school is the Learner Pathway, ’the Tokomaru Train’ that guides and empowers students to achieve personal excellence. A new principal was appointed in Term 1, 2024.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation. 

Part B: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings. 

Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous ERO report in July 2022, the school and ERO worked together to evaluate how well school systems and processes support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora for all learners, enabling and empowering all learners with equitable opportunities to learn and achieve personal excellence.  

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see:

Improved outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners, particularly in the areas of writing and mathematics.

• Most learners achieve at or above curriculum levels in mathematics and reading, with sustained levels of achievement across the school over time.
• Boys’ underachievement in writing is an area the school is addressing.
• Most Māori learners are achieving at or above curriculum levels in reading and writing, with achievement in mathematics lower. 

Improvement in systems and processes that support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora.

• The school has built an evidence base that shows an increase in how learners are engaged in daily classroom programmes that support their hauora and wellbeing. 
• Learners are beginning to learn more about the local histories of their community and mana whenua, through the school curriculum.
• Karakia, waiata and basic te reo Māori are part of daily learning in classrooms; this area remains a continued schoolwide focus for the school.
• Recent student voice data indicates that most learners feel respected and positive about their identity and wellbeing. 

Other Findings 

During the evaluation, it was found that increased progress has been made in the ongoing development of a localised curriculum including establishing connections with mana whenua. 

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Most learners are achieving at expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics.

• Most Māori learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics.
• Schoolwide assessment information indicates a pattern of underachievement in writing; several learners, particularly boys, achieve below expected curriculum levels in writing.
• The majority of learners attend school regularly; the school has yet to meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance and continues to focus on this. 

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders use evidence to build a school culture centred on quality teaching and improved learner outcomes.

• Leadership is focused on increasing the consistency of teaching programmes to support expectations for high quality teaching and learning.
• Positive relationships with education providers and community groups enable learners to access a wide range of high interest learning opportunities that add breadth to the curriculum.
• Leaders are working towards further involving whānau and iwi in school decision making.

Teaching is increasingly responsive to the differing needs of learners. 

• A structured literacy approach in the junior school is beginning to improve learner outcomes in writing.
• School systems continue to strengthen how well teachers work together to monitor and support learner progress and achievement.
• Respectful and collaborative teacher-learner relationships foster an inclusive environment that promotes student engagement in learning. 

The school is strengthening conditions that underpin school improvement.

• Leaders and teachers provide regular opportunities for parents and whānau to engage in school life and are increasingly involving whānau as partners in their child’s learning.
• Positive learner behaviour and wellbeing is supported and enhanced through established schoolwide values, classroom programmes and student leadership opportunities. 
• Strengthening the use of data and evidence by teachers and leaders to respond effectively to learner needs is a focus to support ongoing improvement.

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• improve outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics, with a particular focus on accelerated progress for those not yet meeting curriculum expectations in writing
• strengthen schoolwide consistency in the planning and implementation of teaching and learning in reading, writing and mathematics
• strengthen processes, including the use of data, for teachers and leaders to regularly monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching and learning practices on learner progress and achievement 
• continue to improve rates of regular attendance for all learners.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

• school leaders to strengthen processes for monitoring and evaluating the impact of schoolwide implementation plans on students’ progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics 
• strengthen teacher’s critical reflection practices and data use to develop responsive and targeted actions to improve teaching and learning
• strengthen monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the impact of annual improvement targets, including attendance, progress and achievement
• identify teachers' strengths and needs in the teaching of writing to inform and continue to support professional development requirements.

Every six months: 

• monitor the consistency and effectiveness of reading, writing and mathematics programmes and their impact on learners’ progress and achievement
• review how well assessment information is used to guide effective and responsive teaching and learning 
• monitor accelerated progress for learners identified at risk of underachieving in reading, writing and mathematics 
• monitor and report on the impact of strategies used to improve regular attendance rates for all learners.

Annually:

• evaluate improvements in literacy and mathematics outcomes for all learners and use this information to identify what is having the most impact for learners and where further improvement is needed
• analyse how well reflective monitoring and evaluation processes have improved teaching, learning and assessment practices, and outcomes for learners not yet meeting curriculum expectations
• evaluate patterns and improvements in attendance to identify next steps to continue to increase regular rates of student attendance.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• improved rates of student progress, achievement and more equitable outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics
• increased rates of regular attendance for all learners 
• embedded processes for effective schoolwide monitoring and evaluation of the impact of teaching and learning on learners’ progress and achievement
• strengthened systems and processes for gathering and using data and evidence to inform schoolwide improvement priorities and supporting actions. 

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

21 October 2024

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home